Bay of Islands

fishing report

July 24, 2020

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Ed note: Here’s a nice shot of Dazza with a lesser spotted fairy Hapuka he picked up just off Cape Brett. Very rare in the Bay these days. Well Darren picked a good time to go on holiday, having a crack at the overgrown beasts down at the Tekapo canals. We think this may be a snap of his 22.8 pound trophy that he sneaked into the mix perhaps. This fish was caught on a piece of orange soft bait cut into an egg. Heading for the taxidermist by all accounts. Well done Darren, nice fish by any measure.

Bay of Islands report:

The weather's been the biggest problem at the moment, from cold southerly winds to hard out rain and flooding. At least the Bay offers good sheltered options, and once you do get out the fishing has been ok.

On the snapper front, there have been nice fish in the shallows, even after the rain we've had.

You couldn't see the fish until it was right at the boat, and as per usual, the water is only dirty on the top, so with a good steady burly trail and the out-going tide you can target areas and draw the fish out by smell.

Anywhere between Tapeka point and the Black Rocks has been good.

On the kingfish side of things, there have been some good fish landed out at the Seventy-one metre reef on jigs, and good fishing around the Cape.

If the weather permits and the bite is slow, it’s not far out to the deeper reefs around 240 metres, and with the cooler month's coming up the puka will start to come in closer.

Always a welcome addition to the bin.

The bait fish have been easy to catch some days, and hard the next. At the moment the areas off Russell Point and of Longbeach there are slimy macks and pilchards mixed in with the regular bait schools. These make great livies but are hard to keep alive for more than a few hours.

Be safe and make sure you do a trip report, or at least let someone on land know your plans for the day 

Regards Darren

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PS: Feel free to ring me if you are out on the water and having a hard day 😉🎣

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